Car-coupling



(No Model.)

P. RILEY. GAR COUPLING. I

No. 367,549. Patened Au 2, 1887.

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

. nongraplcr, .1 mglumu.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP RILEY, or MARION, IowA.

CAR-COUPLlNG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 367,549, dated August2, 18537.

Application filed May 2t, 1887. Serial No. 2353086. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that LPIIILIP RILEY,Of Marion, in the county of Linn andState of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Car-C0upling,of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

. My invention relates to car-couplings, and has for its object toprovide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient coupling, allowing cars tocouple automatically as they come together, or to be coupled by theoperation of a hand-lever at the side of the car, and without requiringtrain-men to go between the cars and expose themselves to injury. Thecoupling is fitted with a brake attachment, which prevents withdrawal ofthe entered coupling-link, thereby assuring dropping of the coupling-pinthrough the link.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction andcombinations of parts of the car-coupling and brake attachments, all ashereinafter described and claimed.

I Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of referenceindicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of part of the end of a box-car with myimproved coupling applied. Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of portionsofthe car-frame and the coupliug,and shows also the brake attachment bywhich the coupling of two cars as they come together may be-assured.Fig. 3 is a detail vertical longitudinal sectional elevation of theouter end of the draw-head and the coupling-link held therein by thecoupling-pin, with a second position of thelink indicated in dottedlines; and Fig. 4isa plan view of the coupling-link.

The draw-head A ofthe coupling is provided with a rear portion, a,forming the draw-bar and having any suitable butter-springs, notnecessary to show or describe. The drawhcad is fitted loosely betweenbumper-beams B B, fixed to the car-frame, and is held up into nor- Inalposition at its forward end by a metal strap or bar, G, which lies ontop of one of the beams B, and serves also as a trip to the couplingpinholding devices, as presently explained. The draw-head is provided withthe usual horizontal socket, a, to receive the coupling D, and verticalholes to receive the coupling-pin E, which enters the link slot.

The coupling-link is bent flatwise, transversely, or in direction of itslength, and at one end is provided with a lug or lip, (Z, which is ofproper length to cause the link' to be held between the upper and lowerwalls of the drawhead socket a. lVhen the link is placed in thedraw-head with its lug cl uppermost-,the outer or coupling end of thelink will beheld higher by a few inches than when the link is held withthe lug d underneath, as will be understood by a comparison of the fulland dotted lines in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The outer end of the linkmay thus be adjusted higher or lower, to enter the high or lowdraw-heads of opposing cars.

The coupling-pin E is connected loosely by a link, 6, with an arm, 9,which is a lateral bend or extension ofa rod, G, which is fitted toslide vertically in one of the beams B and rests upon a plate, H, whichis fixed to a U- shaped frame, I, which is fitted to slide in suitablestrap hearings or boxes J, fixed to the outer sides of the oppositebeams B B. The upper ends of the side arms of the frame [are connectedby links k k with the inner ends of two levers, K K, which are fulcrumedto the end of the car and extend to opposite sides of the car, thusallowing the frame I, and consequently the plate H, rod G g, andcouplingpin E, to be lifted by lowering the outer end of either lever K,preparatory to coupling the cars.

To the side of the beam B which the drawhead bar C overlies atrip-lever, L, is pivoted at Z. The upper end of this trip is bentinward at Z, behind the uubent end 0 of the bar 0, and the lower end ofthe trip L is bent outward to form a lug, 1 onto which the weightedouter end of an elbow-lever, M, normally rests. This lever M isfulcrumed to the beam 13 at in, near its downbeat inner end, which atits extremity is proy ided with arearwardly-projecting log, N, which isadapted to enter a hole or slot, 0, made in the adjacent side bar of theframe I, and whereby when the frame is lifted by either one of thelevers K,

as above described, the lug N will automatically enter the slot 0 andhold the couplingpin raised.

It is obvious that as the cars come together for coupling the draw-headA will be forced inward, which will cause the bar 0 to swing the trip L,and thereby lift the outer end of 5 the elbow-lever M and withdraw itslug N from the slot of the raised frame I, and allow said frame to fall,and consequently allow the coupling-pin E to fall through the link whichhad entered the draw-head and effect a coupling of the carsautomatically. It will also be seen that by forcibly raising the outerend of either lever K .when the couplingpin E is held up by the raisedframe I, the elbowlever lug N may be forced from the slot 0, thusallowing the ears to be coupled either side of them by hand-powerapplied to the levers and without requiring train-men to go between theears and expose themselves to inury.

It is desirable, when the cars come together for coupling, that reboundof the cars be prevented to preclude withdrawal of the free end of thecoupling-link before the coupling-pin has time to fall through the link,and to accomplish this object I provide a brake device to be operated bythe backward movement of the draw-head.

This brake device comprises a metal plate, P, which is placed loosely ontop of the drawhead bar a, under the body of the ear, and is held inplace between the bumper-beams B B by a couple of rods, 1) b, fixed tothe beams above the plate. The forward end of the plate P is providedwith a downwardly-projecting lug or hook, p,whieh is adapted to enter are eess, R, made in the top of the draw-head bar a. (See Fig. 2 ofthe-drawings.) Levers S S, fnlcrumed 011 the beams B B, extend to theopposite sides of the ears, and the inner ends of these levers lie underthe forward portion of the plate P, thus allowing the hook p of saidplate to be lifted from the draw-bar recess R by operating either of thelevers, which may be locked in position by any suitable device 011 theear-body to hold the hook clear of the recess. A chain, T, which isconnected to the back end of the plate P, extends forward and is fixedto one end of a lever, U, which is fulerumed at u on the car-frame, andis connected at its other end to a chain, V, which it is understood isto be connected to a chain or device connected to the brake-beam of thecar, and whereby, when the hook p of the plate P is in the draw-barrecess It, the chain T will be drawn upon to operate the lever U anddraw on the chain V to apply the brakes to the car-wheels to preventrebound of the car and coupling-link and assure the fall of thecouplingpin through the link, as will readily be understood. Byoperating either lever S the plate-hook 1) may be raised from thedrawbar recess It, to prevent operation of the automatic-brake device,if for any reason this may be desired.

It will be noticed that the suspension of the coupling-pin by the link 6from the lateral arm or head 5 of the rod G allows free play of thedraw-head in all directions, without in any manner cramping orinterfering with the operation of the coupling-pin and its retaining andtrip devices.

Having thus fully described my invention,

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. Thecombination, in a ear-coupling, of a draw-head, A, aeoupling-pin, E, averticallysliding frame or bar, I, having aplate, H, and avertically-sliding rod, G, rest-i ng on the plate H, and havingalaterally-benthead, g,to which the coupling-pin is linked,substantially as shown and described, whereby the coupling-pin may belifted by raising the'fraine or bar I and the pin will not be cramped bythe movements of the drawhead, as herein set forth,

2. The combination, in a ear-coupling, of a draw-head, A, acoupling-pin, E, a verticallysliding frame or bar, I, having a plate, H,and slot 0, a vertieally-sliding rod,G, resting 011 the plate H, and towhich the coupling-pin is linked, a bar, 0, on the draw head, a lever,M, fuleru med to the ear-frame and provided with a lug, N, adapted tothe frame-slot O, a triplever, L, fnlcrumed to the car-frame to supportthe lever M and adapted for operation by the draw-head bar 0, and meansfor lifting the frame or bar I, substantially as described, for thepurposes set forth.

The combination, in a car-coupling, ofa

drawhead, A, a coupling-pin, E, a vertically; sliding frame or bar, I,having a plate, H,'-and slot 0, a vertically-sliding rod, G, resting pnplate H, and having a bent head, 9, to whidli the coupling-pin islinked, a bar, G, on the draw-head, a lever, M, fnlcrumed to thecarframe and provided with a lug, N, adapted to the frame-slot O, atrip-lever, L, fnlcrumed to the earframe to support the lever M andadapted for operation by the draw-head bar 0, and a lever or levers, K,fnlcrumed to the car-body and connected to the frame or bar I,substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

4c. The combination, with the draw-bar of a carcoupling, of a plate, P,having a.hook,-p, adapted to a recess, 1%, in the draw-bar, a lever, U,fnlcrumed to the car-frame, and chains or connections T V between theplate P, the lever U, and brake-applying mechanism on the car,substantially as shown and described,whereby when the draw-bar is forcedback in coupling the cars the brakes will be applied to the carwheels toprevent rebound of the cars and assure passage of the coupling-pinthrough the link, as herein set forth.

5. The combination, with the draw-bar of a car-coupling, of a plate, P,having a hook, 1), adapted to a recess, It, in the draw-bar, a lever, U,fnlcrumed to the car-frame, chains or connections T V between the plateP, the lever U and brake-applying mechanism on the ear, and levers S,fnlcrumed on the car-body and extending to the plate P and adapted forlifting its hook p from the recess It, substantially as described, forthe purposes set forth.

PHILIP RILEY.

\Vitnesses:

D. DORWART, M. PARMENTER.

